The seaport in Mariupol, which was overrun by the Russian military last year, has started operations, and the first ships carrying cargo from Russia have arrived. The advisor to the then-Ukrainian mayor of Mariupol, Petro Andryushchenko, shared a video on his Telegram channel. Ukraine considers the region temporarily occupied.
The latest shipment of “dual purpose” goods has arrived at the port of Mariupol, he wrote on his channel. In practice, the port’s operations have been restored. The first ships passed. Once again, containers are being carried in. Once again, exclusively with Russian involvement. The port can now theoretically accommodate ships weighing up to 20,000 tonnes. Andryushchenko wrote that if military goods are transported by ships, they are several times faster and cheaper than by truck.
He stated that aerial photographs of the port “would show many intriguing details.”
In the next update, he wrote that the vessel recorded at the exit from the Mariupol port was “Kalevala”. It belongs to the class “non-self-propelled floating barracks” for up to 400 people (plus a crew of up to 40 people). It was brought through Rostov to Mariupol (the date is being specified).
Mariupol port was already operational
However, as per the Russian officials, the port was operational after a few days it was captured. On April 21, 2022, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to President Vladimir Putin on the capture of Mariupol. On May 25, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that Mariupol’s harbour had resumed normal, “every day” operations. The Black Sea Fleet neutralised over 12,000 explosives and weapons, the defence department reported on May 24. More than 1.5 million square metres were surveyed in all. m of water surface area, 134 amenities, eight moorings, and 32 vessels. Early in May, the Investigative Committee of Russia revealed that the port was mined, and afterwards, military investigators discovered flooded civilian ships in the port.
